Mail-marking machine



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MAIL MARKING MAGHINE.

No. 521,566. Patented June 19, 1894.

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MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

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No. 521,566. Patented June 19, 1894.

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No. 521,566. Patented June 19, 1894.

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- Ji W /ir 7W WZ UNITED Y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN POSTAL MACHINES COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,566, dated June 19, 1894.

Application filed August 5,1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail-marking or stamp-canceling machines such as employed in post-offices, of the class in which the letters or other mail-pieces pass between a pair of cylinders, one of which carries marking or canceling devices, and the other one of which constitutes an impression-bed.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved stop-motion or timing mechanism, controlled by the marking-cylinder, whereby a proper relation between said cylinder and the passing mail-piece is maintained, to insure marking of said piece at the proper place.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means whereby the impression-cylinder is moved away from the marking-cylinder during the passage of the marking surface of said cylinder, except when a mail-piece passes between the cylinders.

To the above ends, the invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangements of parts which will be described and claimed hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention: Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the machine, with the parts appearing in their normal relation, or that relation when no mail-piece is passing through. Fig. 2 shows a similar view, the parts appearing in the relation they assume when the mail-piece is approaching the cylinders. Fig. 3 shows a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow crossingsaid line. Fig. 4 shows a sideelevation of the machine as viewed from the lower side of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings: the letter a designates the marking-cylinder; a the impression-cylinder; and a the feeding-belt or apron, which passes Serial No. 482,435- (No model.)

around said impression-cylinder, and by which the letters or other mail-pieces are fed between the cylinders. A stop-arm b is pivotally connected with a stationary support; and hasa lateral end-portion b, projecting toward the apron a and held so projected by a spring 19 A finger c is pivoted to a stationary support on the opposite side of the belt, and is held by a spring 0' in a position where it extends obliquely over the belt, and serves as a means for deflecting the approaching mail-piece and directing it against the stop I) A pair of wheels d are supported one above the other, by an arm d, which is pivoted at d to a stationary part of the machine, said wheels having position above and below the stop-arm b and one of them bearing against the spring-held finger c. A lever 01 is sup ported on the same pivot as the arm (1', and a spring 01 fastened to the said lever, bears against the arm, whilescrew d provides means for adjustment, said screw passing loosely through a hole in the lever d and entering a screw-threaded hole in the arm d (see Fig. 5), and its outer end being confined by a spring a: which embraces the squared end of the screw and bears against the shoulder atthe base of the squared end. When the screw is to be turned, the spring a: is pressed outward to disengage it from the squared end of the screw, so that the latter can be turned, and then said spring is released and allowed to again engage and lock the screw. The lever 01 carries a trundleroller d at its free end, which roller occupies a cam-groove (1 formed in a disk (1 which is mounted on the journal of the markingcylinder. The form of this cam-groove is such that when the marking-cylinder arrives at the proper position to receive the mailpiece, the lever d is moved inward, and the wheels d carried toward the belt or apron a the said lever d actuating the arm 01 through the medium of the springs d and 0a and the screw d different thicknesses of the mail-pieces.

The operation is as follows: The approaching mail-piece is first deflectedslightly by the spring-finger c, which insures its being The y1eld1ng connections allow for IOO carried against the stop I). The marking-cylinder arriving at the proper position to receive the letter, the wheels at are moved toward the belt and carry the mail-piece with them, and, by pressing said mail-piece against the belt or apron, cause the latter to feed it on past the stop I) to the marking-cylinder. By this arrangement, a proper relation is maintained between the marking-cylinder and the approaching mail-piece, and the mailpiece will be marked at the proper place. The spring-pressed finger c retracts the roller (1. The impression-cylinder a is supported in a horizontally-swinging frame e, pivoted to a stationary support at e, and said cylinder is actuated toward the marking-cylinder by a spring 6 An arm 6 is pivotally mounted on the journals of the impression-cylindera, and this arm is jointed at its outer end to a rod e, which extends across the machine and is jointed at its opposite end to a lever 6 pivoted at e to a stationary support, and having an arm on the opposite side of the pivot, which carries a trundle-roller 6 bearing upon the periphery of a cam a which is mounted on the journal of the marking-cylinder. A post f is pivoted at f to a stationary support, and its outer end is adapted to engage behind a shoulder on the arm a Said post is connected by a rod f with an arm f of a rock-shaft, which also carries a finger f which, on one side of the rock-shaft, projects diagonally across the apron a and stands in the path of the mail-pieces, while on the opposite side of the rock-shaft it is connected by a spring f with a stationary support. This spring tends to hold the post f in a position of engagement with the shoulder on the arm 3 The cam e is so timed that, under revolution of the marking-cylinder when no letter is passing through the machine, it causes the impression-cylinder a to be moved away from the markingcylinder during the passage of the printing-surface of said marking-cylinder. In this operation, the post f constitutes a fulcrum on which the arm e may rock, motion being transmitted to said arm from the cam by the lever e and rod 6 The lever e is held in contact with the cam a by a spring 6 and there is a low point in the cam a which, when the said lever e is engaging it, causes the post f to be relieved from the arm 6 This occurs as the letter enters the throat g and encounters the finger f The letter moves this finger back, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thereby causing the post f to be moved clear of the shoulder on the arm e so that this post no -longer forms a fulcrum for said arm, but the spring 6 is allowed to hold the impression-cylinder against the marking-cylinder until the letter has passed through. After the letter has passed through, the low point heretofore mentioned as occurringin the cam e comes again into engagement with the lever e and causes the arm e to be moved to a position where the spring may return the post f behind the shoulder of said arm and this post may again act as a fulcru m. By this arrangement, it will be seen that the cylinders are brought into co-operative relation for marking only when the mailpiece is about to enter between them.

The letters It and i designate idle-rollers, which are disposed on opposite sides of the apron, the roller 1' being carried by a hinged arm t", and pressed against the belt by a spring 71 and the roller h backing up the belt. By this means, the letter will be fed in to the cylinders from the stop or timing devices.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the letter j designates the passing mail-piece.

It is evident the invention herein disclosed may be carried out by other means than those here shown. Hence I am not limited to the construction illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mail-marking machine comprising in its construction a stop to intercept the pieces in transit to the marking devices, a pivoted arm carrying rollers to move the pieces free of said stop, a lever for actuating said arm, yielding connections between the lever and arm, and a cam for actuating the lever.

2. A mail-marking machine comprising in its construction a stop to intercept the pieces in transit to the marking devices, a springpressed finger to deflect the pieces against the stop, a pivoted arm carrying rollers to act against the mail-pieces and against the defleeting finger and move them clear of the stop, a lever for actuating the arm, yielding connections between the lever and arm, and a cam for vibrating the lever.

3. A mail-marking machine comprising in its construction marking and impression cylindcrs, one movable toward and from the other and yieldingly actuated toward the same, a pivotal carrier for the movable cylinder, an arm connected with said carrier, means for vibrating said arm, and a letter-controlled fulcrum for the arm.

4;. A mail-marking machine, comprising in its construction a marking-cylinder, an impression-cylinder movable toward and away from said marking-cylinder and spring-actuated toward the same, a pivotal support for said impression-cylinder, a movable fulcrum for said support, a finger in the path of the mail-piece and suitably connected with said fulcrum whereby the latter is moved out of operative position by the passing mail-piece, and a cam arranged to operate the impressioncylinder support through suitable connections.

5. A mail-marking machine comprising in its construction marking and impression cylinders, one movable toward and from the other and yieldingly actuated toward it, a

pivoted carrier for the movable cylinder, an

arm connected with said carrier, alever, a rod connecting said lever with the arm, a cam for actuating the lever, and -a letter-controlled into the letter-path, anda rod connecting said fulcrum for the arm.

6. A mail-marking machine comprising in its construction marking and impression cylinders, one movable toward and from the other and yieldingly actuated toward it, a pivoted carrier for the movable cylinder, an arm connected with said carrier, a lever, a rod connecting said lever with the arm, a cam for actuating the lever, a movable fulcrum for the arm, a pivotal finger spring-actuated finger with the fulcrum.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of I 5 two subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of June, A. D. 1893.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE.

Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

